


The Tale of a Drake Prince

by unluckyloki



Category: Red Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairytale royalty, Fantasy elements, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Kon - a himbo: arrives, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Oh no there's only one bed, Sharing a Bed, Tim: :), Tim: is sad because he is cursed and alone, TimKon Secret Santa, also, also there's a few f words, here's a Tim the Duck prince fairytale fic!, warning: THEY TENDER, wow guess I did make my dream come true
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22252729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unluckyloki/pseuds/unluckyloki
Summary: There is a Prince, cursed to change into a bird.There is another Prince, who so happens to find him in the woods.And, of course, the True Love's Kiss.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 53
Kudos: 329





	The Tale of a Drake Prince

**Author's Note:**

> this is a present for [Ryri](https://ryripeachy.tumblr.com) for the Timkon Secret Santa exchange
> 
> the duck part is really small, because I'm an idiot and started this too late. Sorry if this fic is not exactly what you wanted, I've tried my best!
> 
> For inspiration behind the looks of the princes, look here: [Ryri's art](https://ryripeachy.tumblr.com/post/187751670651/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-beautiful-duck-drake)

Tim's running.

Branches catch on his clothes, ripping out pieces, cuts stinging his skin. His cloak catches on a bush and that jerks him back, the golden clasp digging into his neck painfully. He pulls on the thick woolen fabric, tugs on it once, twice - but it's stuck. His breathing picks up, his eyes looking around frantically, and Tim chooses to unlock the clasp on his neck and leave the cloak, rather than stay in one place any moment longer.

A thorny vine grazes his cheek as he picks up speed, blood gushing from the cut - Tim lets out a pained gasp, but does not stop.

His boots are full of water, because the ground underneath is covered in soggy moss and he hasn't ended up neck-deep in a bog so far only by some luck.

There are voices in the forest, from behind him, dogs or wolves yapping - he's not sure anymore what's true and what is not.

He just needs a little bit to get to a clearing, he knows it must be around here somewhere, can feel the moonlight flowing down into it even from where he is now.

But he's been running for what feels like forever and his legs hurt, and then his boot catches on something and the next moment he finds himself sprawled on the ground, a sharp cry of pain escaping his lips. His knees are stinging and there must be blood on his hands. It hurts so much it disorients Tim for a minute, and it's the minute he does not have.

A minute too late.

When he opens his eyes, there's a figure standing over him.

Green mist curls around his ankles, not letting him get up.

He can see the clearing from here, with the moon shining through the trees, and reaches out to it with his magic, but a wrinkly, strong hand covered in massive rings catches his wrist.

"Here you are, young Wizard," a smug voice says. "Thought you can run away from me?"

Green mist curls around his throat, feeling like a noose around his neck, and Tim tries to claw at it frantically, but there's nothing that his fingers can touch. It's pressing more and more, until his vision goes dark.

He blackouts with the rusty laugh ringing in his ears and a surge of power dragging him away.

***

Getting lost in a forest on a Saturday afternoon wasn't exactly Prince Kon's idea of fun.

He just kind of hopped on his horse and rode until his anger fizzled out, and it took quite a bit of riding and fuming, before he realized that the woods around him are thick and dark, crooked trees crowding him, and that he has no idea where he is.

He just wishes Clark could be less of an ass.

Queen Lois says that they are too alike, and that they need to figure out how to find ways to talk to each other, but it’s been four month since Clark had Kon move into the palace with him, and it hasn’t gotten any better.

It wasn’t so hard with Lex.

There, at least, he knew what was expected of him and what orders to follow.

When he’s just found out about having a second father, Clark seemed like a better option, especially when Lex started being too controlling with every passing day. Kon wanted to feel freedom, liked the way Clark didn’t have any orders to give him - instead the man was horrified by the notion itself.

But the freedom of living with Clark soon turned into a frustrating cage - not being told what to do was hard, deciding for yourself was difficult, had consequences Kon didn’t know how to deal with.

Like the fight that he and Clark had gotten into, the one that sent Kon running.

And it wasn’t Kon’s fault, okay?

Clark should have known better than to try and force him to go to the sunless, grim and boring kingdom of Gotham. He kept telling him on and on about their ‘duty’ to the King to support him at the time of grief, how important it was to go to the Midsummer Festival, even though no festival activities would be happening, because the whole country is in an almost year-long mourning for their ‘lost’ prince. Kon didn’t think that the guy was lost - most likely he eloped with some pretty girl, or just plain died - everybody knew the last one happened to the Gotham princes a lot, so who even cares anymore? When Kon voiced his two ideas, Clark had exploded at him for being insensitive, and very soon they were both yelling.

That’s how Kon ended up in the middle of a forest he didn’t know, and it was all Clark’s fault!

With the fight taking up his thoughts, Kon doesn't even notice arriving to a clearing. The area is pretty, with young trees at the clearing's sides, and a lake in the middle of it. Kon's sure he will find some clean water to drink there, and maybe he can even swim a little? It is summer, after all, and summer in the middle of the woods in Krypton is much better than Gotham, with it’s constant rains and clouds.

Kon dismounts, letting his horse go to eat some grass and flowers, and goes closer to the water, losing his shirt and pants on the way. There’s reeds blocking the view to the lake, but he walks around them and finally sees the whole lake.

Its water is turquoise, there’s barely any wind, so the surface of the water is smooth like a mirror.

There’s a rock in the middle of the lake, and on it, a thin, light-skinned maiden sits. She has long, green-blue hair, and a flower crown made of small white flowers. Her hair is thrown over her shoulder, leaving her naked back exposed.

Kon smiles. This is a great day!

With great care and making as much noise as possible to let the maiden know he’s coming, the prince gets into the water and swims to the rock in the middle of the lake. The water feels a bit cool, but his heart is pumping his blood so fast in anticipation of the meeting, that he barely feels it. He feels the maiden’s gaze on him, her eyes big and turquoise, just like the water in the lake. The maiden's hair covers her breasts, but from what Kon can see, it's all very promising.

Kon swims up to the rock, and it must be pretty deep, because his legs don’t reach the bottom anymore. So the prince holds on to the rock, having decided not to climb it yet. He makes sure his arms are at the right angle so his impressive bicepses will be seen and gives the maiden the most dazzling grin he can manage.

“Hey there, pretty lady,” he starts, moving his shoulders lazily, to show off his muscles there. “The water’s a bit chilly, isn’t it? Do you want me to warm you up?”

The maiden turns her face fully to him and her rosy lips smile. Kon smiles back, encouraged, waiting for her to speak - and her full lips finally part around a breath of air. She opens her mouth, showing off pearly-white teeth. And opens, and opens, and keeps opening it and more and more rows of teeth appear, and it's not funny anymore because there's _teeth_ and they are sharp and no longer human and then there's more and more as her mouth opens up to her forehead and her face is just … _teeth,_ row after row, spiraling, and Kon screams, frozen to the spot with terror.

The thing on the rock moves forward abruptly, her multiple teeth clicking, and Kon yelps and lets go off the rock, as if trying to step back.

But there’s nothing under his legs and the _thing_ jumps forward, her hands on his shoulders, and pushes him underwater. He struggles, but her slim arms are unexpectedly strong and they plunge deeper and deeper into the water and there’s not much air left, especially with Kon having to try and keep the monster at his arms’ length with all of his strength and having to struggle. The water gets colder and colder, the deeper they sink.

When the last bubbles of his breathe leave him, he watches them float up to the surface, thinking that he’ll never gonna see it again, that he’s gonna be ‘lost’ just like that prince from Gotham. His arms weaken and the monster puts its face closer and closer.

There’s a loud sound somewhere over him and then the monster is being pulled back roughly, and the most beautiful blue eyes are in front of him, a soft hand caressing his cheek.

Kon takes a breath, startled, and his lungs burn, and then he’s out as a light.

***

When Kon wakes up, it's already dark outside.

Or maybe it's _still_ dark outside?

He's not really sure what's going on.

The prince looks around and does not recognize the room he's in. He's in a bed, covered with what the thinks is a bearskin, and he's naked. It's not really the first time in his life that he's woken up naked in a stranger's bed, but he would appreciate some context.

Then, he remembers - the beautiful maiden with green-blue hair and _teeth_.

He yelps at the memory and scrambles out of bed, thinking - that’s exactly why Mercy told him to stay away from the forest, back when he lived with Lex! She said that the fairies stole boys and made them their slave-husbands, and that they need humans to make baby monsters, and that’s why Kon should never go to the forest alone.

Is that it? Did the monster drag him to its den? Is he naked because this is an elaborate way that the monster uses to mate? Is he gonna be held here against his will to make baby monsters? How long will it be before that thing kills him?

Before he has the time to really look around and locate at least something to wear, a door to the room opens and a figure appears. It’s almost believable-human - of a boy roughly his age, with dark hair and pale complection. But Kon’s not going to be so easily fooled twice. He snatches a poker from near the fireplace - he’s heard that iron protects from the fairy kind - and points it at the creature meanicingly. 

"Are you that girl from the lake?" Kon demands, his voice too high.

The to-be-determined creature furrows its eyebrows, looking annoyed.

“Do I _look_ like a girl?” it asks, rolling its eyes.

The voice is pleasant. It looks and sounds like a guy close to Kon’s age would. But that doesn’t prove anything!

A thought strikes Kon.

“I know what you are,” he gasps, “a _shapeshifter_! Don't come any closer to me, I have iron!"

The creature who looks like a guy blinks at him, but doesn’t move.

“Why would you need iron?” it asks, perplexed.

“Because fairies are afraid of iron, everyone knows that!” Kon quotes what he remembers from Mercy. “ And I know why you brought me here! You’re gonna force me to make babies with you!"

"What?!" the guy chokes and. 

Wait. 

Is he _blushing_?

“First of all,” the-maybe-human says, taking a very deep breath. “No babies are to be made here, that’s not only gross, but also physically impossible, with the two of us being men. Second - I am most definitely not a ‘fairy’, even though it seems like you’re mixing up a lot of concepts about mythical creatures, and I can touch iron to prove it.”

That sounded suspiciously like back-talk from a smartass, which Kon doesn’t appreciate, but he still extends the poker enough for the other to reach.

A pale hand reaches out to touch the metal.

And.

Nothing happens.

The hand that’s holding on to the poker does not burst into flames. 

Kon takes another look at the person in front of him.

He’s closer now, so Kon sees that the stranger’s eyes are blue. The colors in his clothes are mostly dark-grey and a lot of brown, which Kon thinks is a waste on such a handsome guy. He’s also wearing a balck velvet choker with a small feather as a pendant on it.

“Okay,” Kon agrees. “You’re not a fairy.”

“Well, thank you,” the guy says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just so you know, the 'girl' you've met in the forest wasn't a 'fairy' either. She was a water nymph and you were incredibly rude, trespassing on her lake like that."

“How was I supposed to know it’s her lake, I was just passing by!”

The guy’s eyes narrow with suspicion. 

“Passing by, you say,” he repeats slowly. “And how did you find this place?”

There’s something this guy expects of him, some wrong or right way to say what he needs to say next, but Kon has no idea what it is. So, he tells the truth.

“I’ve just rode through the woods, that’s all.”

“Just. Just rode in here?”

“Yeah. Just took my horse and came here, I didn’t really notice anything on the way, I was a bit - well, upset.”

The guy looks at him for a long moment. Then, he blinks, seeming to accept the reply. 

But Kon realizes something.

“Wait, where’s my horse?” he screeches, terrified. “She’s all alone with that water monster, she must be terrified! Oh my poor Daisy, did she get eaten?!”

The guy looks at him, wide-eyed, and Kon can almost swear he can see the thought process rapidly happening in those blue eyes. 

The guy laughs.

“What’s so funny? Is my poor dead horse a thing to laugh about?” Kon asks, angry.

“No. But I don’t think anymore that you’re a spy or an evil spirit sent to me,” the guy says. “You just can’t be one.”

“Um,” Kon blinks. “”That’s. Good?”

“Yes, yes, it is,” the guy says, mirth in his voice. “I’ll go look for your horse for you, but I doubt it’s been harmed - the water nymphs do not harm those who are no threat to them. But before I go, I think you’ll need to drink from this cup, and also go back to bed. You’ve been running on adrenaline, if my theory is correct, but it will wear out soon.”

There’s a cup in the guy’s hand, the one Kon hadn’t noticed before. The guy is looking intensely at his face, as if looking for something.

“Why do you think I need to be in bed?” Kon asks.

Before the other guy has a chance to reply, Kon sees the room around him blur and swim. The next moment he finds himself sitting on the bed, the guy having guided him there by his elbow.

“You’re hurt,” the guy explains, and his voice is soft, careful. “The nymph left claw marks on you, and magical wounds like that don’t heal fast.”

“At home, they can find healers,” Kon says, holding his head with both of his hands, feeling like it’s about to fall apart. “If you just find my horse, I can go back.”

“No, you really can’t. I doubt you’d even get a mile away before collapsing, in your current state. And I can’t take you home, either. But I can help, if you’d let me? I’ve made a balm for your wounds, and there’s elixirs you can drink to speed up your recovery. I’m sorry I can’t help you more.”

That's when a cup is pushed into Kon's hand, and he drinks from it before even considering if that's a good idea. The fog lifts from his thoughts a bit after he finishes the cup.

He turns to the guy who's sitting by his side, reaches up and squeezes his shoulder.

"Thank you," he says.

The guy doesn't look at him, his head turned away. 

"You're welcome," he says.

There's blush on his cheeks.

Kon realizes suddenly that the only thing he’s wearing is the earring in his left ear.

He’s never had much problem with being naked, never really understood why people would be ashamed of their bodies, but he knows it’s not really considered okay in society.

And here he is, sitting on the bed which probably belongs to this guy who most likely was the one to save him from the water monster.

Kon moves to take a bearskin from the bed to cover himself at least a bit. When he moves, the guy turns to him, most likely automatically, just because the movement catches his eye, and flushes even darker shade of red.

"Um, so, I'll go look for your horse? And you. You rest." the guy stummers, leaving the room hastily.

Kon chuckles under his breath and lays down, his body relaxing the moment his head hits the pillow. He feels like he could melt into the soft mattress, like he could fly.

Not a minute passes before he is asleep.

***

Tim finds the horse near the clearing, peacefully munching on a camomile. Coaxing the horse into following him deeper into the woods proves to be a little bit more difficult, but he manages to persuade it with some sugar and talking to it gently, calling it by the name it’s owner used.

Tim usually trusts his gut, and he thinks a guy who was so worried about an animal can’t be a bad person. But, maybe, this time Tim shouldn’t trust his feelings so blindingly, in case they are compromised.

Because, there is a hot, hunky guy in his house.

Who also happens to be absolutely naked. 

Which is Tim’s fault - when he pulled the guy out of the cold water of the lake, he couldn’t leave him freezing in his soggy underwear, the only thing the guy was wearing at the moment. He was sure he’d find some replacement for the undergarment, but it turned out that all of Tim’s own clothes were too small for the guy.

He didn’t really focus on that when he dragged the other to his place, didn’t think about it when he was tending to his wounds, his mind focused on the task at hand, on keeping him alive. The moon wasn’t out that day, so he went to sleep in the hut, worrying about the magical wounds inflicted by the nymph's claws, going through the steps that needed to be taken to take care of such a difficult injury.

Only the next day, when he opened the door to the guy standing in the middle of his room, Tim was finally hit by the realization that he was _hot -_ tall, his body sculptured like a god’s, tight muscles everywhere, from his arms to his thick tights, and. And naked. Very naked.

Tim reminds himself that it’s okay to think about how attractive some people are, he’s almost 18 and he hadn’t done anything inappropriate, just treated the guy’s wounds. It’s still insanely embarrassing, and he imagines how Dick and Jason would’ve teased him if they knew.

If they cared to know.

If they cared to look for him.

He tries not to think about his adoptive family, about how nearly a year has passed since he’s been kidnapped by Ra’s. And how they haven’t found him.

Ra’s been telling him since the very beginning that the Bat Clan of Gotham didn’t really care about him, that nothing in the kingdom changed because of his disappearance, that they would just be fine without him and wouldn’t want to look for him. 

Tim didn’t believe him at first, but then, with each passing month, his confidence wavered. He was still in the woods at the edge of the kingdom, trapped at the property that used to belong to his late parents, and no one has come for him. Yes, he knew that Ra’s had put barriers and traps all around, but the Bat Clan was the strongest wizarding family in the region, and they have gone to literal Hell to bring Damian’s soul back, so how hard was it - to find Tim?

He tries not to think about it, but he still does, every day, and it hurts so much he nearly misses the turn towards his house while thinking about it.

The house is an old hunter’s hut, one that was used at once huge and busy Drake estate. The castle now lays in ruins, and the gardens are covered in thistles and weeds. Tim doesn’t have it in him to care anymore - his parents have always been distant, going abroad for travels more often than not. To be honest, he doesn’t even remember them much anymore, their faces are those of the portraits that Bruce had relocated to the castle, trying to help Tim deal with their deaths, thinking that he’d need a reminder.

Tim doesn’t - the memory of their figures leaving, going into the ship that later was destroyed by the storm, always in the back of his head.

Bruce has been more of a father to him than Jack has ever been. He’s paid attention, asked about his day, even took Tim with him if he needed to travel. There were also the others, Dick, and Jason, and Cass and Duke, always there, keeping him company.

It’s all different now, of course.

But it doesn’t matter.

His relationship with his parents, his relationship with the family of the Bat of Gotham - none of that is going to change the fact that he is _not_ going to give up his lands to Ra’s. Keeping the old sorcerer from taking them is the only thing Tim is still sure about.

He hadn’t really known why Ra’s wanted them, when it just began. But being imprisoned on the lands has given him time to research, and he found out that it has magical properties - another Lazarus Pit hidden in the caverns deep under the lake.

As a wizard, he knows what danger the Pit possess, how its magic can break one’s mind. As Jason’s brother, he hates the Pit.

With that in mind, Tim ties the horse to a tree near the hut and goes to get the clothes drying on the rack - his guest will definitely need them when he wakes up.

***

Kon wakes up to birds chirping at the window and a stack of his own clothes, folded neatly, on a small chair near the bed. He puts on the pants and takes the linen undershirt into his hands, but stops dead in his tracks in front of the mirror. There he can see long marks on his chest, dark-red and deep, looking infected. He panics a little and goes to look for the owner of the house, remembering that he said something about treatment for the magical wounds.

He finds the other guy in a small kitchen, hunched over a cauldron. When Kon greets him, the guy literally jumps.

“Um, hey,” the other guy replies. “I see you’ve found your clothes.”

“Well, yeah. Even though someone stole them,” Kon says and watches how the guy’s cheeks tint pink.

“I didn’t steal your clothes!” he rebukes. “I’ve taken them to be washed because they were left on the shore, in the mud!”

“Huh, that’s what you say, but I distinctly remember going into the water with my underwear still on.”

Kon doesn’t know why he keeps insisting on it, but teasing the guy does something to him that Kon can’t really put into words.

“You were freezing, it was a medical emergency,” the guy mumbles, the blush spreading down his neck.

That’s so funny and also cute, but Kon thinks he’s gotta stop, before the guy decides to throw him out of his house.

“I’m Conner, by the way,” he says, and still can’t help but add, “I think you should at least know my name, considering how you’ve seen me naked and had me in your bed.”

He grins and extends his hand to the guy, waiting for a handshake.

“Do you _have_ to be so weirds about it?” the other guy says, his cheeks still flushed.

However, he does shake Kon’s hand.

“I don’t know,” Kon laughs. “Do _you_ have to be so mysterious? I don’t even know your name.”

“Tim.”

“Nice to meet you, Tim. You’re cute when you blush!”

Tim sputters at that, but seems to gather his composure the next moment.

“I bet you say this to all the guys who save you from vengeful water nymphs,” he smirks.

This time, it’s Kon’s turn to sound offended.

“Hey! It was only one time!”  
“Uh-huh,” Tim hums sarcastically. “If you say so.”

They get to treating to Kon’s wounds next, Tim telling him how the injuries caused by the water nymphs' claws are very difficult to heal, that they would stay infected for days and may in the end consume the person’s mind with fever. How Kon must’ve noticed already that he’s feeling tired after the simplest tasks - which is true, because the prince already feels like after a day of hard work. As soon as the wounds are all covered with gauze, Tim helps Kon get back to the room and Kon falls asleep again.

It continues like that for almost a week. During this time, their interactions are limited to the time when Kon’s not asleep. It starts off as not more than an hour, but then he manages to stay awake for longer and longer. He's not his usual energetic self, and he mostly spends his time tailing Tim around the house, not even being able to offer any help. But it still gives him enough to form a view of the other guy - because they talk _constantly_.

Tim is a nerdy know-it-all and also a wizard apprentice, seemingly closed-off and reserved at first glance. But as soon as he got used to Kon, he showed his true colors - after the shyness and awkwardness of the first meeting had gone, it turned out that Tim can give as good as he gets, teasing Kon in return and making fun of him.

Tim could also be sweet, and caring, especially careful with treating Kon’s wounds, wincing when Kon would grunt in pain, like as if Tim’s been hurt, too.

So the guy is smart, funny and gentle, and also pretty, even despite the dark circles under his eyes, and Kon is slowly understanding that he is very, very fucked.

“I’ll give you a potion to help with healing, and you can go to sleep,” Tim says softly, the next time he is treating to Kon’s wounds. “Bear with me for just a little bit, okay, Conner?”

“I’ve told you - you can call me Kon, like my friends do,” Kon replies, his head already swimming with tiredness.

“Okay,” Tim laughs, “If that’d make you feel better.”

“You getting some sleep will make me feel better! Have you noticed that the bags under your eyes have bags?” Kon chides. 

“I’m fine,” Tim huffs, smiling.

“No, you’re obviously not! Is it because of me? Because I keep hogging your bed?”

"No, that's really not the reason," Tim sighs.

"But there's no other rooms here, and I don't see a bed anywhere in the kitchen," Kon presses on. "Where do you sleep?"

"Kon, I swear, you staying in the bed changes nothing at all."

There it was, another part of Tim's personality that was both irritating and hot - his mysterious, cryptic replies to the simplest questions.

This time, Kon isn't going to let it go so easily.

"You're coming to bed with me," he decides.

"Excuse me?" Tim sputters.

"You're excused," Kon nods seriously. "Now, you're gonna go rest in a comfy bed, and if me being there as well disturbs you, I can sleep on the carpet near the fireplace."

Kon does love how Tim's face goes all pink, but he decides not to tease him, for the sake of Tim, hopefully, getting a full night's sleep.

***

Conner is sweet, funny and kind-hearted, and Tim is very, very fucked.

Because, after the guy had convinced himself that he's the reason why Tim doesn't get enough sleep, there was no way in hell he could escape being tucked into bed together with Conner.

Kon is already sound-asleep, a respectful distance away from him, and Tim still can't move, feeling like his body has been struck by a lightning, filling him with buzzing electricity.

Tim wonders if the reason for it is that he's been alone here, in the makeshift magical prison of the woods - but Kon's easy touches, like when he bumps their shoulders together or demands a high five, always leave him shaking. 

And wanting more. 

He's probably just touch-starved and it has nothing to do with the guy being kind and really handsome.

Right.

He stays like that, laying frigid and unmoving, for what feels like forever, but must be just half an hour. Kon, that bastard, changes about five different positions, moving closer to him each time, before settling down pressed close at Tim’s side.

Tim hates it - the overwhelming warmth at his side, the closeness.

But also maybe loves it a little.

He doesn’t move away.

It feels much nicer, easier to fall asleep like this. Tim turns his head to press his cheek into Kon’s hair.

He feels sleepy, and is almost dreaming, when a surveillance spell he put on the one mile radius around the hut wakes him.

He knows who that is, even without looking.

Tim takes his hand out of Kon’s, that has found its way there somehow, and leans over the sleeping man.

“You’re in a very, very deep sleep,” he whispers, silver waves of magic coming off his fingers. “You will not wake up, you will stay here and remember nothing.”

He slips out of bed, feeling nausea start in the pit of his stomach when he notices that the sun has almost gone down.

Tim walks to the lake as the last sunbeams color the water in it red.

“Hello, Timothy,” a man standing on the water in the middle of the lake says. 

Tim sighs and walks up to him, using the limited magic he has in this place to get there.

Damn Ra’s and his useless showing off.

“How are you today?” the old sorcerer asks, circling Tim like a shark.

Tim cuts right to the topic Ra’s starts every time they meet.

“You know you can’t force me to give my lands up,” Tim says, looking straight ahead stubbornly. “They can only be given away by free will for the magic to stay, and keeping me here is not enough to break me into submitting my will to you.”

“Oh, of course it’s not, Wizard,” the man smiles slyly. “But I am immortal, and you are not. I can wait. Can you?”

Tim wants to say something, to argue, to spit out harsh and hurtful words, but that’s exactly when he feels that the moon is rising.

“Oh,” Ra’s notes in a mocking tone, his eyes flicking to the velvet around Tim's neck. “I believe your time is up.”

Tim turns to see the moon, just a tip of it over the forest, the light already pooling into the clearing. He reaches out to it, desperately, like many times before, hoping against hope that this time it will work, that this time he will manage to send a message through the moonlight.

And just like many times before, he watches as feathers start growing out of his skin, before he has even the smallest chance to start the spell.

His skin burns and bones break to rearrange themselves into a smaller body, and he screams, and screams, and screams - until he loses his voice.

***

Kon wakes up to a memory of Tim’s screams, of not being able to move or do anything to help.

He turns to the other side of the bed to find it empty.

Kon thinks it’s the first time he’s started his day here by running, but he does that to get to the kitchen.

Tim is there, hunched over his cauldron, making a potion for Kon, like he does every day.

But there’s an awful tiredness in his shoulders, and even darker circles under his eyes.

When Kon asks if everything’s okay, Tim smiles and says it is.

What it really is, of course, is a lie. Because, after Kon spends half a day with him, helping him with cutting vegetables for soup and setting the table, Tim becomes more and more tired, with every step he takes. It becomes evident that Tim’s completely exhausted when Kon is telling him about his kingdom and the best street food there, and a cup slips out of Tim’s hands.

“Okay, that’s it,” Kon says, after they clean up the mess. “We’re going to bed.”

Tim doesn’t protest this time - just follows him quietly when Kon takes him by the hand and leads him to the other room.

Tim falls asleep almost instantly, tucked in and warm, but Kon is determined to see that he stays like that all night, and he even throws his arm over Tim to keep him there. 

And thanks to it he wakes up to Tim slipping out of bed, when it’s already getting dark outside. After waiting for a little bit, Kon follows him.

Outside, Tim walks through the forest and a few minutes later comes out at a clearing, the exact same one Kon remembers, with the lake in the middle.

Tim comes closer to the edge of the water, and looks up, his hands reaching out to the moon that’s just appeared.

As soon as the first beam of moonlight catches on Tim’s hand, he starts screaming.

Kon watches in horror how Tim’s body changes, his skin being turned inside out, his bones cracking with a stomach-churning sound, rearranging and reshaping Tim into something else. And all of this is with the screams full of pain, the ones Kon thinks he’ll never forget.

Everything around Tim glows, and the moonbeams illuminate the place where he’s convulsing in pain, and then the screams stop.

When the magical light around him dissipates, Kon can’t see Tim anymore.

Instead, on the shore near the water, exactly where Tim has been just now, a duck sits.

It all suddenly makes sense.

Tim just goes out for a moonlit stroll every night.

And turns.

Into.

A duck.

Is he a duck werewolf? A wereduck? 

What the hell?!

Kon takes a few deep breaths to calm down.

Okay, one step at a time.

A person changing into a duck isn’t the weirdest thing he’s seen in life.

He’s the son of Lex the Warlock and Clark the King of Krypton, and he can deal with this.

Kon marches towards the lake and the duck-Tim that’s sitting at the shore, having dropped his head mournfully.

When he approaches the duck, it looks up and squeaks.

“Hey buddy,” Kon says, picking it up. “You look a bit different - what, did you change your haircut?”

The duck hisses at him, and Kon wonders if Tim can understand him.

“I do hope I’ve gotten the right idea about this and am not bringing a random duck back to your house.” 

On their way back, the bird squirms in his hold, loudly protesting, but he doesn't let go, earning a few bites for that.

Back at the house, Kon puts the duck-Tim into a nest of blankets he makes for him, and tells him that even like this, he should still rest. The duck seems very angry, huffing and hissing at him, but it does stay put in it's spot, so Kon counts it as a win.

He doesn’t really sleep that night, always on the edge of sleep and wakefulness. So that’s why Kon is fully awake in the morning, when the first rays of sun enter the room and Tim’s screams start.

Turning back into a human takes less time than into a duck, or so it feels for Kon who already knows what to expect, but Tim stays face down on the bed, whimpering in pain, for a long time after it’s finished. Kon stays with him, stroking his back carefully. 

When Tim looks up at him, his eyes are red and puffy, and his cheeks are wet.

“Hey,” Kon whispers carefully, feeling like he could startle Tim with a louder sound.

Tim sits up, turning his head away from him, and covers his mouth with both hands, trying to hold in the sobs.

“Hey,” Kon says again, a bit louder.

He reaches out to put one hand on Tim’s shoulder and rub Tim's knuckles with the other hand.

“It’s okay, come here,” Kon adds, carefully pulling on Tim’s hands.

Unexpectedly enough, Tim does, and the next moment Kon has a handful of a shivering, warm body in his lap. Kon strokes his back, moving his hand up and down slowly.

“It hurts that much?” he asks, when Tim stops shivering, but still stays pressed close to Kon.

Tim nods into his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry you had to see that,” Tim adds, his voice raw.

“It’s okay,” Kon says, his hand still going up and down.

Tim hums, relaxing into his arms. There is a long but comfortable pause after.

“How are you so calm about this?” Tim asks finally.

“Eh,” Kon shrugs, dislodging Tim’s head on his shoulder a little. “Everyone has their little secrets. And if you’re a wereduck-”

Tim pushes away from him, fast, to get a look at his face.

“I’m a _what_?” he asks and laughs, the first time he does that day, and the sound fills Kon’s heart with joy.

“It’s like a werewolf, but a duck, no?” Kon says, confused.

Tim snorts, covering his face with both hands for a different reason now, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

“I’m not a- pffff- not a _wereduck_ ,” Tim laughs. “I’ve been cursed.”

That’s. Not really funny.

“You’ve been cursed?” Kon repeats. “By whom?”

Tim’s mood sours instantly.

“That’s not important.”

“Yes, it is! Maybe I can do something about it!”

Tim shakes his head bitterly.

“No, you really can’t.”

Tim gets out of bed and leaves towards the kitchen.

Of course, Kon follows him there, and watches as Tim starts with the potion and their breakfast.

“You must be feeling much better today,” Tim says after a long silence. “I think you’ll be able to handle the journey back home.”

Kon gets up from the chair he’s been sitting in so fast that it falls.

“Don’t send me away, Tim,” he begs.

“You can’t stay here,” Tim says, his voice stoic and cold.

He’s turned his back to Kon, but Kon’s not gonna give up so easily. He marches up to Tim and grabs his arm, turning him around.

“Tim, please,” he asks softly.

With Tim turned to face him, Kon can see the storm brewing in the other’s eyes.

“He’ll kill you,” Tim whispers, his face a picture of misery.

“Who?”

Tim swallows, hard.

“The. The sorcerer that cursed me. If he finds out you’ve crossed the borders of the forest somehow, that you’re here with me, he’ll kill you.”

“What does he want from you?”

“These lands. They are - _were_ my family’s, for generations,” Tim explains and sighs. “The land has magical properties, and, if I give them up, he’ll get too much power. So, I can’t. For the sake of the world, I can’t let that happen, but I also can’t leave - I’ve tried, before and after you came. The border still stands. I don’t really understand how you got in.”

“There’s always loopholes in curses and spells, Lois told me!” Kon remembers. “Maybe that’s what happened?”

“Lois?” Tim repeats, sounding slightly suspicious, but Kon doesn’t dinify that with an answer.

“Come on,” he says, taking Tim’s hand and dragging him to the other room. “I’ve seen so many old books in your room, there must be something that can help us.”

They spend the next hour over the books, trying to figure out the loophole that brought Kon there. After an hour or so, Kon annoys Tim into writing down the curse the sorcerer said, word by word. There’s a line about turning into a duck under the moonlight, and about the woods turning into a prison Tim can’t leave unless he gives up his lands, and how 'no one born of a woman' can enter.

“Wait,” Kon says, after having stared at the script for at least 10 minutes. “I’m not ‘born of a woman’, I don’t have a mom. I have two dads.”

“You have two-” Tim repeats, shocked, “Wait. You’re the son of King Clark and Lex?”

“Yeah,” Kon smiles. 

It’s not uncommon for people to know about him, even more so in the magician circles - he is, after all, a magical anomaly.

“I live with Clark now, though,” Kon adds, knowing the reputation his other dad has. “Moved in with him a few months ago.”

“They’re probably looking for you!” Tim gasps. “Clark must be going mad with worry!”

“Nah,” Kon shrugs. “They’ll be okay. I’m sure he thinks I’ve just gone to blow off some steam. It’s not like I’d be treated like that _Lost Prince of Gotham_ anyway. If Jon disappeared, _that_ would’ve been a different kind of story.”

“The lost prince?” Tim repeats dumbly.

“Yeah, the guy that disappeared like a year ago? The one they’re still mourning? That’s why there’s no celebrations allowed and they all wear black there? Or maybe black is just a Gotham thing. Anyway, their king is refusing to declare the prince dead, so they call him ‘lost’ instead. You haven’t heard about it?”

“No,” Tim blinks, looking dumbstruck. “No, I really haven’t.”

Tim turns away, seeming to be processing something, and Kon gives him space. Tim has mentioned that he’s from Gotham before, so he must be really worried about their prince.

He’s still looking at the page with the curse written out on it, when thunder and lighting boom outside, loud and bright.

“Timothy!” a loud, angry voice is heard from the outside.

“Oh no!” Tim yelps, jumping to his feet. “You need to go, now!”

Kon grabs his hand.

“I’m not leaving you!”

The main door to the house blows up, pieces of wood flying everywhere.

“Shit!” Tim screams, tugging on Kon’s arm. “Window!”

They get out of the house through a big window in the kitchen and Tim drags him to the lake.

“We need a more even ground,” Tim explains, panting, while they run. “Ra’s a sorcerer, and a sorcerer’s magic is elemental, so he can destroy everything around him when he’s enraged!”

“How the hell did you make an enemy out of that guy?” Kon yells, trying to keep up.

“It was a string of bad decisions!” Tim yells in reply, trying to be heard over the hurricane happening behind their backs.

Right at the lake, when there’s the elemental power of the sorcerer’s magic behind them and the vast body of water before them, Tim and Kon stop.

“I have an idea how to break the curse,” Tim says, turning to Kon; their hands are still intertwined. “But you’ll have to trust me!”

“I trust you,” Kon nods solemnly, hoping that Tim can see in his eyes how true it is. 

He think it works, because Tim’s expression softens. For a moment, it almost feels like they’re going to kiss, but then the sorcerer, Ra’s as Tim called him, appears at the lake.

They step back, but do not let go of each other’s hands.

“How will we know that the curse is broken?” Kon asks in stage-whisper.

“My shackles will fall,” Tim whispers in return, tapping his finger against the velvet choker on his neck.

Kon realizes suddenly that the choker on his neck has always had a _duck’s_ feather as a pendant on it. He wonders if the thing is even real, or if it’s just an illusion, a part of the evil magic.

“Young Wizard,” the old sorcerer starts with a leering smile that Kon really, really doesn’t like. “I can see that we have guests.”

“Don’t come any closer!” Kon fumes, tugging Tim a tiny step back.

Tim yanks his hand back and takes a step away from him, closer to Ra’s.

“I’ve decided to give away the lands,” Tim says.

Kon wants to lurch forward and stop him, shake him, ask what the hell is he thinking - but, Kon’s also promised that he’d trust Tim, so he stays put.

Ra’s smiles, and no, Kon absolutely does not like it. Especially when the old man gets a double-edged knife out of his pocket.

“You do know the procedure, do you, Wizard? This will be an unbreakable oath.”

“Yes,” Tim agrees easily.

Kon watches as Tim extends a hand to take a knife from the old sorcerer’s hand.

"With this, I hereby declare," Tim starts monotonously. "That I give this oath to give up the Drake lands that are in my possession to the one this oath is addressed to, tied by blood spilled, and sworn by my words. This is an act of my free will, and as such, it can neither be broken nor taken back. And so be it."

Tim takes the knife to his hand, slowly making a cut. Ra's looks at the blood that starts to drip down Tim's palm, but Tim, instead, is looking at Kon.

Their eyes meet, and Kon doesn't really know how, but he knows that Tim calls for him.

The next moment, Tim turns and throws the knife to him, and Kon catches it mid-air by the blade. 

Of course, it cuts his hand.  
  
But that's exactly what he and Tim need, and he reaches out to take Tim's hand and pull him closer.

There's a glow starting at the blood on their hands.

Ra's screams, but it feels far away.

"I give my lands to _you_ , Conner of Krypton," Tim says to him, smiling.

There's a silvery glow around them, and a soft gush of wind lifting them off the ground.

"And I'll gladly take care of them for you," Kon promises.

When the magic glowing mist dissipates, they are still holding hands.

And he velvet choker on Tim's neck has vanished. Tim touches his neck and laughs.

There's a storm starting around them, trees creaking and falling.

Kon's never before felt this sure, this calm and collected, like he knows all of the answers of the universe - never before, but now, with Tim's hand in his.

"It's okay," he promises, when Tim urges him to run. "Will you trust me?"

"Of course," Tim answers in a heartbeat.

Kon smiles and pulls him closer, feeling golden light fill his body and mind. He feels as if the light forms a protective field around him and Tim, covering them from the hurricane raging outside.

"Kon!" Tim whispers vigorously. "How are you doing this? It's magic!"

Tim seems truly impressed, his eyes looking at Conner with wonder.

"I don't know," Kon admits honestly. "Magic is a part of who I am, that's how I've been made. But it seems to like being near you. A lot."

"Oh, does it, then?" Tim smiles, his cheeks pink and eyes glistening with mischief. "What else does it like?"

"Holding you," Kon says, his hands moving to Tim's waist.

There's a storm around them and an evil sorcerer trying to get through Kon's magical field, but all that Kon can really focus on are Tim's eyes.

And also how Tim pushes up to stand on his tiptoes, his blushing but smug face dangerously close to Kon's.

"I wonder if your magic would like this," Tim asks.

And leans up to kiss him.

The golden glow around them flares up and intensifies.

There's a scream from the outside of their comfy cocoon of magic, and the storm stops.

When they turn to see what happened, they see Ra's on the ground, his clothes and hair smoldering. Tim makes a fast gesture with his hand and his silvery magic swirls in the air, once, before disappearing.

"He's lost his powers," he says to Kon in disbelief. "He tried to attack us and lost his powers!"

Tim laughs, loud and free, and Kon can't take his eyes off him, can't really even about anything else, which probably is the reason he loses his filter.

"Nothing can get through the True Love’s Kiss," he says.

He panics instantly, blaming himself for rushing, for probably scaring Tim off with admitting how he feels too fast.

But instead, Tim squeezes his fingers with his own and smiles, the charming blush still on his cheeks.

***

They leave the sorcerer behind, stepping over his body without any regrets. They take the horse, Daisy, and ride it together, in a slow, gentle pace the animal sets.

Kon's wounds are still not fully healed, and Tim rather likes just being in his arms, without any rush.

It gets dark, and everything inside Tim feels horror as the moon shows up in the sky. But, as the first moonbeams land on his skin, nothing happens, and Tim feels his magic sing with joy when he can finally send a message home.

When they arrive to the Gotham Royal Castle, they are already expected.

The healers are the first ones to get to them, with warm blankets and potions for Kon.

Tim watches as his family pools into the courtyard, most of them having run here on full speed. It’s all of them - Damian, Bruce, Duke, Jason, Cass, Dick and even Kate and Stephanie!

He breathes out, feeling light, feeling like he can relax and rest, because it’s finally _over_.

He’s safe.

He’s home.

Oh, also, he didn't come back alone.

“Tim!” Dick yells, pulling him into a hug.

Then, he looks at Conner, being tended to by the healers.

“Who is he?” Dick asks. “Did he save you?”

Tim turns to Kon and the other prince smiles at him. 

Tim smiles back.

“We kind of saved each other,” he says.

**Author's Note:**

> Kon: You're a wereduck.  
> Tim, a morosexual, unbuttoning his shirt: continue  
> [scroll to the end to see an illustration of this moment by Ryri💜](https://unluckyloki.tumblr.com/post/190286729483/ryripeachy-ryripeachy-once-upon-a-time-there)
> 
> check out my other timkon stuff:  
> [ a small 'n cute oneshot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20025574)  
> [witch AU (finished) ](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1388419)  
> [a self-sacrifice AU with weird galaxies, space pirates and space lesbians (finished)](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1420471)  
> [another fic inspired by Rury's art](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20235979)
> 
> Also, here's [ my tmblr](http://unluckyloki.tumblr.com/)


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